You are my happy place
by DreamerDayjob
Summary: <html><head></head>Felicity is attacked outside of Verdant when Oliver comes to save her. After a while, however, it seems as though it was more than just a mugging. They realize how much they really mean to each other and that true love will always find a way.</html>
1. Dark Alleys

_AN: Hey guys! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, I hope I live up to your expectations. This is, however, my first fanfiction so please be merciful... Also, I'll try to get the image and dialogue of the characters right but if I make any mistakes please let me know. There will not be a specific update pattern, but I'll try to update as frequently as I can. And yes, there will be another chapter after this. Enjoy!_

Chapter 1

Felicity was sitting at her desk in the lair when she heard Oliver and Diggle enter and descend down the metal stairs. It had been a long night. They were looking for a new threat, Carlos Lopez, who was a weapons dealer and so far every lead had been a dead end. Even Felicity had to admit that he was doing a good job at covering his tracks, which made her think that he was not in it alone. Someone else had to be helping him, someone with hacking skills like her own. _Ugh!_ She hated the word 'hacking', but it was the best way to describe what she did.

"You guys find anything?", she asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"No, the guy's so called 'safe house' turned out to be an abandoned motel. We checked every room. Nothing.", Diggle replied.

She understood that Oliver wasn't in the mood for talking. He was, as usual, super pissed that it was taking so long to eliminate a new threat. When he suddenly decided to speak up, it stunned her into silence.

"I found a phone while I was sweeping the rooms. Thought I'd bring it back and see if you could pull anything useful off it?", he said, handing the phone to her. She took it immediately and started scanning through the data.

"And as usual, your sharp eye is much appreciated. And your arrows, which also happen to be sharp. Or so I think. I wouldn't really want to find out, just so you know. I'm not planning on going rogue and destroying the city or anything, not that I could if-"

"Felicity!", Oliver interrupted her babbling.

She nodded and turned to her computers. _I have got to stop babbling around him _she thought, even though she knew that it was inevitable. He was the reason for her babbling, most of the time.

"Okay so it looks like Lopez placed a few calls to another phone. I can't pinpoint the location where the calls were made, but they were made somewhere in the Glades for sure. Some of them took place in the last 7 hours, so we can't be that far behind. Street cameras are still looking for a hit on Lopez, but it might take a while."

Just then they heard the familiar noise of thumping music above them, indicating that the club had opened for the night.

"Okay, keep digging and let us know what you find.", Oliver replied and headed toward the training mat with Diggle to spar.

About an hour and a half later they stopped and Oliver went to change into his suit. When he returned his playboy mask had already slipped into place.

"I'm going up to the club to make an appearance. You guys go home, it's been a long night for everyone."

At that Diggle gave a short nod and left, leaving Oliver and Felicity alone. When she turned back to her monitors to continue her search, Oliver sighed.

"Felicity, you need rest. Go home, you can start fresh tomorrow."

She was about to protest when she gave a not-so-ladylike yawn. He gave her a small smile.

"Goodnight Felicity", he said and made his way up the stairs.

She quickly packed up her things, setting an alert for any news on Lopez. She then made her way up the stairs and in to Verdant. Almost immediately she had a headache. Although she could hear the thumping of the music in the lair, it was nothing compared to actually being in the club. She made her way through the crowd towards the front exit. When she saw that she wasn't getting there any time soon, she went to the back door which lead to an alleyway. She knew it was a bad idea, but making her way through a club full of drunk, dancing people seemed even more so. Oliver usually had someone escort her to her car, but it didn't really seem necessary since it was just across the street. She made her way down the alleyway and was almost out, when a hand gripped her arm.

"Where you going Blondie?", the man said and gave her a sickening smile.

He forcefully pulled her deeper into the alley with one arm around her waist, controling her movements. She started to struggle, trying to remember her training. She kicked him in his shin and heard him cry out. She only made it a few steps before she was grabbed again and pushed hard against the wall, hitting her head hard. He had his hand over her mouth and pulled something from his pocket. The knife glinted in the dim light. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly in place. He thrust the knife into her side, making her cry out in pain. Her screams were muffled by his hand. She began to feel dizzy, as a result of blood loss, seeing black spots in front of her eyes. The man suddenly gave her a blow to the head and she fell to the ground, unable to stay on her feet. At the same time she heard the club door swing open and someone shout her name. Her attacker must have run away, because he was nowhere to be seen. The person came closer and she flinched away.

"Hey, hey, Felicity. It's okay it's me.", she heard Oliver say softly and immediately she relaxed.

"Ol'ver?", she slurred. Her vision started to blur and the simple task of keeping her eyes open seemed impossible. She didn't even realize that she'd closed her eyes until Oliver started yelling.

"Felicity! Come on Felicity, open your eyes! Please!"

He sounded so desperate and so broken that a silent tear escaped her eyes.

"Ol'ver...'m sorry...", she slurred back before everything went dark.

The last thing she heard was Oliver frantically calling her name.

AN: For those who are wondering, no, Felicity is not dead. I'd hate myself if I ever ended a fanfiction that way. I'll try and update as soon as possible (if you guys are interested). I'm also really sorry, I know this chapter is short but I'll try to make longer chapters in the future.


	2. Three Little Words

_AN: Wow! Was really not expecting a reaction, let alone a good one :D. Thanks you guys, your support is really appreciated! I'm trying to make this chapter a little longer than the previous one, I really hope it turns out okay. In this chapter we'll be seeing a bit of Oliver's POV, and then back to Felicity. Feel free to fav/follow/review._

Chapter 2

"_Felicity! Come on Felicity, open your eyes! Please!"_

He sounded so desperate and so broken that a silent tear escaped her eyes.

"Ol'ver...'m sorry...", she slurred back before everything went dark.

The last thing she heard was Oliver frantically calling her name.

When Oiver saw Felicity lose conciousness he felt something clench around his heart. He couldn't lose her. He _couldn't_! She was his light and his purpose. Sure it had started with the list, but after the Undertaking he seemed to lose his purpose. That is until Felicity convinced him that he could be more that just 'the vigilante', and that he could actually do some good in this city. She saw a hero in him even when no one else, including himself, did.

He carried her pale, limp body into the lair using the backdoor. When he laid her down on the med table, the sight broke his heart. Her delicate frame laying there, listless. He never wanted this for her. The sight made him want to lock her away somewhere safe, where no one would find her.

He hurriedly grabbed the med kit and set her up with an IV. He unbuttoned her blouse to see the full extent of her injuries. The sight made him wince. She had bruising along her abdomen and there was a large gash on her left hip. It would need stitches. He gently cleaned the wound and began with her stitches. Her skin felt so soft under his calloused hands and he couldn't help but rubs tiny circles onto her side with his thumb. Once he finished he moved to her head. She had dark bruising along her right cheek, where she had taken the blow.

"That sick son of a bitch...", he whispered.

His left hand moved to cradle her head, while his right hand took her hand in his. He felt a lump under her hair, but at least there was no blood. He saw, to his relief, that she had gained some colour in her cheeks. Although her hair was a tangled mess and she was still pale, she looked beautiful to him. It was then that he realized that her blouse was still open and that he'd seen her in her bra. Out of respect, he averted his gaze from her exposed skin and draped a blanket over her. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to her, her hand still in his. He must have been more tired than he realized, because in less than twenty minutes he was already asleep.

When Felicity woke up the first time, she could barely get her eyes open. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. When she finally opened them, she could make out Oliver's sleeping form next to her. She desperately wanted to reach out to him, but her body wouldn't let her. Instead she drifted back to sleep.

The next time, she woke up with a start. Her eyes flew open and suddenly pain washed over her entire body. She groaned loudly and Oliver was at her side in an instant.

"Oliver?"

"Hey, it's okay now. You're safe.", he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Well my side hurts like hell, along with my head.", she replied. She covered her side with her hand and hissed at the contact.

"Whoa, take it easy. Stay put and I'll be right back."

Oliver returned shortly with a glass of water and what she guessed were painkillers. He set them down next to her and helped her sit up. She drew in a sharp breath and she could feel silent tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes were shut tight. She knew Oliver was probably looking at her with that look he always had when he was concerned about her.

"You good?", he asked as he took her hand.

"Mmhmm.", she said, her eyes still closed.

She finally opened her eyes and gulped down the painkillers. She could almost immediately feel the pain subside a little. She sighed in relief and turned to look towards Oliver, who was still holding her hand. She gave him a small smile of gratitude and squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back. She suddenly felt guilty for making him worry, and getting herself hurt.

"Oliver I'm sorry...", she began.

"No Felicity, don't. You have absolutely _nothing_ to be sorry for. You hear me? _Nothing_.", he said and then paused, looking for the right words.

"Felicity I...when I saw you laying there... I'd never felt so helpless in my life. You were so pale and when you lost conciousness... I thought I was going to lose you Felicity. And I can't. I can't lose you. You're the only thing that's kept me going since the Undertaking and... you truly have no idea what you mean to me Felicity."

His hand came up to cup her cheek and she leaned into his touch. The butterflies in her stomach were doing somersaults. He looked at her with pure adoration and something she couldn't identify. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

"Then tell me.", she said softly.

He gazed into her eyes with an intensity she'd never seen before. Then Oliver smiled a small, yet genuine, smile and said.

"I love you, Felicity."

Time stopped, she was sure of it. A warmth spread over her heart and filled every inch of her. He loved her. She grinned back at him, unable to hide her pleasure. Just when she was about to speak, he leaned in closer with both his hands cupping her face. His lips paused a little less than two inches away from hers. Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes flicked to her lips and he closed the distance. The kiss was like nothing she could ever have imagined. She'd imagined kissing him before, but it was nothing like the real thing. After getting over the initial shock she melted into the kiss, moving her hands to loop behind his neck. She barely felt the pull in her stitches, his touch eliminating any pain she would've felt. When his tongue stroked over her lips, she eagerly gave him access and their tongues moved in harmony. When they finally parted, they were both out of breath and grinning like idiots.

Before Oliver could interrupt her again she spoke, her voice filled with the complete _love _she felt for him.

"I love you too, Oliver."

_AN: Really didn't think that I could write another chapter so quickly, but there you have it! And I'm sorry, I know this one wasn't much longer than the previous one so please have mercy... Now technically I could stop the story here 'cause I did what was promised in the summary. However, if you guys want this story to continue just say so in a review and I'll see if the demand is there ;) I wouldn't mind at all to continue writing this. But just in case this is the end of the story, I just want to say thank you so very much for your support and I'll see when I can start a new fanfic! Love you all :D xx_


	3. Nightmares

_AN: So some of you wanted me to do another chapter, so here it is. None of this is connected to the actual story line (hope you don't mind). The story now continues directly after the previous chapter and we get Oliver's POV and then of course Felicity's. Favs/follows/reviews are deeply appreciated! You guys can also leave me prompts in reviews about what you'd like to see happen next. Happy reading!_

Chapter 3

Before Oliver could interrupt her again she spoke, her voice filled with the complete love she felt for him.

"I love you too, Oliver."

He knew that she loved him before, but hearing her actually say the words was something different entirely. It did things to him that he couldn't even begin to explain. And he could see that she meant it. He saw it in her eyes, her smile and her whole being. He felt the exact same way, if not more so. He thought he knew what love was with Laurel, but he now saw that it was never love. At least not after the island. They were merely holding onto the idea of the love they had before the island, but too much had happened since then. Oliver was no longer the playboy 'Ollie' from before. He experienced things on Lian Yu that changed him forever, but in some ways it changed him for the better. Womanizing, drinking and being care free no longer appealed to him. It made him see that he never truly loved Laurel.

Felicity, however, was something new. She was like a burst of fresh air when he felt like he was suffocating in the darkness of his world. She was his Felicity. The person who could harness the light that was still inside him. She knew every part of him and could read him like an open book. She was truly remarkable and he didn't know what he had done to deserve her. Nevertheless, he loved her and couldn't imagine life without her.

He fervently gazed into her eyes, overcome with the need to feel her soft lips on his again. She must have felt the same desire, as her eyes kept flicking to his lips. They simultaneously closed the distance and he instantly deepened the kiss. His hands traveled to her thighs, fingers going under the hem of her skirt and stroking her exposed skin. She moaned into the kiss and once again looped her arms behind his neck. Her fingers raked through his hair, and he tightened his hold on her thighs. She lifted her legs to hug his waist and he moved his hands to her ass. Just as she was undoing the buttons on his shirt, they heard a loud throat clearing behind them.

Felicity squeaked and pulled herself away from him. Oliver simply turned around and nonchalantly redid the buttons which she had just opened.

"Diggle! What are you doing here?", he asked, surprised at how unaffected his voice sounded.

"I got your message about Felicity. I'd ask how she's doing, but I think the answer's pretty clear."

Felicity blushed at this.

"I got to say, though,", he continued. "it's about damn time! I was wondering if you kids would ever come to your senses."

Oliver gave him a hard look, but Diggle simply chuckled in reply. He turned back to Felicity, who was still sitting on the med table. He took her hand and squeezed it.

"You stay right here and I'll go get you some clothes.", he said and moved away.

It took a moment for Felicity to fully understand what he meant. She looked down only to find her black lace bra and a _lot_ of exposed skin. Her cheeks turned a deep red as she hastily pulled the blanket up to cover herself. Oliver returned shortly with a t-shirt and shorts. He wasn't sure if she had any of her own clothes somwhere in the lair, but he was eager to see her in his. She took the clothes from him and hurried to the bathroom, the blanket still wrapped around her. Once the bathroom door was shut, Diggle turned to look at Oliver warningly.

"You do realize that if you hurt her, I'll put a bullet in you. I need to know that you're serious about this thing with Felicity."

"Diggle, I've never been more serious in my life. And I swear that if I hurt her in any way, you have the full right to kill me if I haven't already done it myself."

"Good.", Diggle replied. "How is she?"

Oliver knew the question was directed at the status of her wounds.

"She has a knife wound on her left hip, I gave it a couple of stitches. Other than that, she has bruising along her abdomen and most likely a concussion."

Diggle winced at the news. Just then they heard a groan and a thud coming from the bathroom. Oliver bolted to the bathroom and didn't even bother to knock before he went in. Felicity lay sprawled on the bathroom floor and looked like she was about to lose consciousness again. Oliver rushed to her and knelt down by her side.

"Felicity? Felicity, talk to me!", he said. He didn't care how desperate he sounded. He just wanted Felicity to be alright. The images of her lying unconscious in the alleyway filled his mind again, making him shudder. He pushed the memory out of his mind and gently picked her up. She was fully clothed now. He took her to the med table, but made a split second decision to rather take her to the couch. He laid her down and went to get an ice pack for her head. He tenderly held the ice pack to the back of her head, where there was still a lump. A few minutes later Felicity opened her eyes. She looked up at him with tired eyes.

"Hey.", she whispered and yawned shortly afterwards.

"Hey. You feeling better?", he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Mmhmm.", came her sleepy reply and she attempted to stifle yet another yawn.

"Go to sleep.", he said softly."Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

At that her eyes slid closed. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep, her breathing was slow and steady. Oliver made himself comfortable beside the couch and focused on her rhythmic breathing. Oliver was asleep in no time.

She was walking down a dark and empty alleyway, much like at Verdant except it was dead quiet and there were no other people in sight. Suddenly one hand grabbed her. Then another. Soon she was surrounded, and the hands were pinning her to the ground. She frantically called out for Oliver. He was nowhere to be seen. Still she kept on calling his name in the hope that he would save her. A man stepped out from the shadows carrying a knife covered in blood. She looked past him and saw Olivers body slumped in one corner. 'OLIVER!' she called out, sobbing. The man holding the knife came closer wearing the same sick smile she'd received earlier. She struggled to get loose, but it was no use. 'Felicity...' the man said. She screamed. 'Felicity! Wake up! You're safe!', she then knew the voice to be Oliver's.

Felicity jolted upright, nearly colliding with Oliver. Her whole body was covered with a thin layer of sweat and she was breathing heavily. She turned to Oliver and threw her arms around him, sobbing. He gently stroked her back with one hand and cradled her head with the other.

"Shh, shh. Felicity, it's okay. I'm here, you're safe.", he whispered into her hair.

"Ol-Oliver...he had me again...and I called for you but you wouldn't come... then I saw the knife and oh... Oliver he killed you!", she said and starting sobbing into his chest again.

Once her tears ceased she realized that she was trembling. She also became aware of the pain flaring from her hip. She winced and covered the spot with her hand. Oliver caught sight of her sudden action and pulled away to inspect the wound. He lifted the shirt a bit and saw that the flesh around the stitches looked red and sensitive. He placed soft, sweet kisses on the skin surrounding the stitches, mindful of the sensitive spots. She felt a bolt of electricity run through her at his touch and had to bite back a moan of pleasure. She always loved that even though he had a rough and hard outer shell, he could still handle her with such gentleness. Her hand came up to rake through his hair and she could see him close his eyes in bliss.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?", she said.

Oliver chuckled,"Yes, but I'll never get tired of it."

She leaned in towards him for another mind blowing kiss. Just when their lips were inches apart, they heard Diggle cough loudly. They turned to him in shock, for both of them had forgotten that he was there.

"Look man, I know guys are in love and what not, but I think we need to lay down some rules here. Rule number one: Before you make out, just make sure good ol' Diggle is nowhere near.", Diggle said, smirking.

"I thought rule number one was: always use a condom?", Felicity retorted. Realizing what she'd just said, she started babbling whilst blushing furiously. "Oh shit! _Please _don't tell me I said that out loud? I mean, not that Oliver and I have had... not that I wouldn't want to...ugh, this is not making things better! 3...2...1..."

Oliver chuckled. Diggle laughed and shook his head.

"Okay rule number two: Keep in mind that there are certain things that Diggle doesn't need to, or want to know. Now I'm going to head home before I accidently walk in on you two or something."

Diggle ascended up the metal stairs and shut the door firmly behind him. Oliver stood up and went to fetch Felicity's purse. She turned slowly on the couch, avoiding sudden movements. Oliver came and wrapped an arm around her waist to help her stand. They made their way up the stairs and out of Verdant.

"Let me drive you home.", he said. All she could do was nod.

After helping her into the passenger seat, Oliver got in the car. The drive was comfortably quiet and more than once she felt his gaze on her. The drive was over all too soon and again, Oliver came to help her out of the car. They made their way into the building and got in the elevator. When the doors shut he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out, hand in hand. She unlocked her apartment and opened the door. She wanted him to stay with her for the night, but she knew it might be a little too much too soon. They said their goodnights and Oliver gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. As he turned to walk away, she knew that she had to make a decision _now_. _Oh, screw it! _She thought and called after him.

"Oliver! Uhm, I know this might be little too much to ask but...I don't want to be alone tonight. And we don't even have to sleep on the bed together or anything, I'll take the couch..."

"Felicity, I thought you'd never ask.", he said. "And I'll take the couch."

She invited him inside and went to get a blanket and a pillow. The inside of her apartment reflected her personality perfectly. It was fun, quirky and yet, not overbearing. Her walls were a light shade of purple and there were two fairly big windows, making the room seem bigger. In the living room there was a white couch decorated with a few pink and green cushions. Felicity returned and handed him the blanket and pillow.

"Are you sure you want to sleep on the couch? I mean, I be more than happy to...unless you want to sleep with me. Not as in _sleep_ with me, but the one where we actually get some sleeping done...Ugh, I officially hate my brain!"

Oliver chuckled and kissed her on her head. "Really? Because I happen to love your brain, as well as your babbling. Now I believe you said something about sleeping together?", he said, smirking.

She blushed a deep crimson and lead him to her room. She climbed into bed and felt the mattress dip when he joined her. He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest and sighed peacefully.

"Goodnight Oliver", she said.

"Goodnight Felicity"

That night she fell asleep in Oliver's arms, listening to the steady beating of his heart and feeling ready for anything the world threw her way.

AN: Looks like this chapter was a little longer than the previous one, so yay! Hope you enjoyed it ;) Get ready for tonight everyone! Arrow season 3! I'll have to wait a few more weeks (hopefully less) before I get to see it, 'cause I don't live in the US :( and I forgot to mention this, but I thank every one of you who have taken an interest to my fanfic. And you have no idea what your support means to me :D Will update when I can. Till next time xx


	4. Flowers

_AN: So, I hope you guys enjoyed the first episode of season 3 yesterday! Found out that it'll be airing here on the 24th of October...Grr...As usual, thanks for the support! In this chapter we see Oliver go all grr and also a few things happening in Felicty's life once she returns to QC. Enjoy!_

A few days later Felicity was starting to get cabin fever. Oliver always found a way to keep her inside the house and made her take some time off at Queen Consolidated. At first it had been sweet that he cared, but now she was getting annoyed. She wasn't some child who needed babysitting, she was a fully grown woman for crying out loud! Then, when she wanted to go out to the grocer for some food, Oliver immediately suggested that they should order takeout. She had basically been living on takeout for the last couple of days and she was starting to feel like a blob from too much junk food. When she reached her fourth day of house arrest, she couldn't take it any longer.

"Oliver I understand that you want me to rest, but this has gotten completely out of hand! I need to get back to work and so do you. You might also have noticed that I can't really do anything involving our night time activities from here. And if it's about me healing properly, I can assure you I'm fine. You already took out the stitches and everything! So, give me one good reason as to why the hell I'm not allowed to go to work!"

"Because I love you and I need you safe!" he yelled back. "I'd never forgive myself if somethig happened to you again. I don't...I don't want that son of a bitch hurting you again."

"Why the hell would the guy come after me again? It was a simple street mugging Oliver!"

"But what if it wasn't, what if it was something more? Look at the facts! If it was a street mugging he would've stolen your purse or something, but he didn't. He might be trying to harm you Felicity and I can't let that happen!"

She was quiet for a moment, considering what Oliver had just said. She paled a bit when she realized that he could be right. Maybe someone _was_ after her. But why? Surely it couldn't be connected to the Arrow, since their only mission at the time being was Lopez but he'd been quiet lately.

"Maybe... but that shouldn't stop me from going to work. It'll be in broad daylight, no one will even think about trying something. And it's not like I'll be out of your sight, I mean I literally work in the room right next to you. Not to mention that the only thing dividing us will be a single glass wall."

He looked like he was considering her proposal. After a while he sighed and chuckled.

"I should've known I'd never win an argument against you. You look too damn sexy when you're mad. Fine, go get dressed. We leave in an hour."

She grinned at him and turned to get herself ready. She settled on her royal blue dress and decided against her regular ponytail, leaving her hair down. She quickly did her make up, making her lips fuchsia pink. She grabbed her glasses and purse and went to meet Oliver in her living room. He insisted on driving her to work and she allowed him, in the hope that he'd feel better about his decision to let her out of her apartment.

It was a short drive to QC. Oliver parked the car in the garage and they walked to the elevator. Oliver took her hand and she gave him a look which said '_you sure about this?'_ He nodded and brought her hand up to place a tender kiss on it. She felt her face flush at his public affection. They rode in the elevator to the executive floor. When the doors opened she could feel that all eyes were on them. She tensed a bit under their scrutiny. Oliver caught her tension and dragged his thumb along her knuckles, evaporating her worries. They reached his office and he gave her a peck on the lips before they each turned to their own desks. She had a _lot_ of new emails that needed attention. That much she had expected. What she hadn't expected, however, was the QC mailboy delivering her a bunch of flowers. The flowers were orange and short stemmed. She identified the flowers to be Begonias. She turned to ask the mailboy who had sent the flowers, but he'd already felt. She looked across the room to see Oliver staring at her intensely and could see that he was just as confused as she was. When she studied the flowers closely, she noticed the tag tied around the stems. She tensed when she read the message. It read : EVERY FLOWER HAS ITS MEANING.

She hesitantly turned to her computers to search for the Begonia's meaning. When she found the results, she paled. She felt the tension creep into her and her heart was beating in her throat. The meaning of a Begonia was: beware.

Oliver must have noticed her sudden change of expression, because he was already out of his chair and walking towards her in long, steady strides. She quickly closed the webpage and tried to smile as casually as possible. She didn't want him to worry, since he already had so much on his plate. He had a lot to catch up on after his three 'vacation days'. She didn't want to cause him any more trouble.

"Hey, is everything okay?", he asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, no, everything's fine!", she answered a little too quickly.

He raised an eyebrow, but let the matter go. She knew he was going to bring it up later though. His eyes fell on the small bouquet of orange flowers.

"So, flowers huh?", he asked and she thought for a moment that she heard a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yeah, why? You jealous, Queen?", she said with a smirk.

"No!", he said quickly. "I just don't like it when people send my girlfriend flowers."

Her heart soared when she heard him call her his girlfriend. To her, the whole thing was surreal. She was certain that it was a dream and she would wake up any second. She pinched herself just to be sure.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay? Why did you just pinch yourself?", he asked, a little concerned but very much amused.

"Just to make sure that I'm not dreaming.", she answered sheepishly.

Oliver chuckled and bent down to cup her face in his hands. When he spoke, his warm breath mingled with hers.

"Damn, you're beautiful. You know I love you, right?"

"I've never doubted you in my life."

He gave her a soft and lingering kiss before pulling away. Her lips tingled with the lingering feeling of his lips on hers. She wanted more and looking into Oliver's darkened eyes, she could see that he did too. That would, however, not be a wise move as they were still in QC and they still had to act professional. A loud voice broke through their silent conversation.

"Mr Queen.", Isabal Rochev interrupted.

Oliver stepped to the side and she caught sight of Felicity.

"Really Oliver? Your secretary? I thought that was a little too cliche, even for you. But then again, you do love hiring women with certain..._qualifications_.", she said and gave Felicity a condescending smirk. "Now I'd appreciate it if you could stop sweet talking your secretary, and actually focus on something work related. I think you've spent enough time together the last few days, don't you?"

With that she turned and left, but not before Oliver caught her firmly by the arm and pulled her aside.

"Listen Isabel, I know we've had our problems in the past, but there is _no_ reason to drag Felicity into this. Your behaviour back there was inexcusable. Now if I _ever_ hear you talk to Felicity like that again, I will have you removed from the premises. Do I make myself clear?", he said threateningly.

She looked baffled for a moment, before regaining her composure. She nodded curtly and left. Oliver turned to find Felicity staring at him.

"You didn't have to do that Oliver. I'm a big girl, I can take Isabel."

"I know, I just couldn't stand it any longer. She had no right to talk about you that way.", he replied and unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Thank you.", she said, giving him a small smile.

The next couple of days were quiet, even for Team Arrow. They couldn't do anything until they got a hit on Lopez, so their evenings consisted of Oliver and Diggle training and Felicity scanning through camera footage for a hit (when she wasn't ogling Oliver on the salmon ladder).

It was then on Friday morning when things took a turn. She walked into the excecutive floor and went to her desk outside Oliver's office. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of a small and colourful bouquet of flowers resting on her desk. She hesitantly moved towards it. She picked it up and read the tag. It read: LAST CHANCE. FLOWERS SPEAK VOLUMES... _Last chance for what?, _she thought as she tried to identify the flowers. The orange flowers were definitely lilies, but there were pink and blue flowers which she'd never seen before. She searched for the meaning of orange lilies on her computer. The word 'Hatred' popped up on the screen. She wearily continued to search for the meanings of the other flowers.

The blue flower turned out to be a Monkshood. Its meaning: Beware, a deadly foe is near. Her heart raced. _A deadly foe? _The thought crossed her mind that the person who sent her the flowers might know about her connection to the Arrow. The last type of flower was the pink one, which she saw was called a Rhododendron. _Scientists and their stupid fancy names for everything,_ she thought. The results she found made her heart stop. She drew in a sharp breath and there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. The word jumped up at her, like a cat ready to pounce.

The Rhododendron's meaning : _danger_.

AN: So...You like it? I really hope you do, I was hoping to put a bit of a twist in the story (make sure you guys stay interested ;) ). I won't be updating for a while, 'cause I found out that I have a few unexpected assignments due for Monday when school starts. Wish me luck :( But don't worry, I have a plot in my head and I can't wait till I write more chapters! Also, please no spoilers for Arrow season 3, you are aware of my situation. Favs/Follows/Reviews please! xx


	5. Meeting The Family

_AN: Hey guys, I am SO sorry for the delay! My assignments were a pain, but now I'm back! (At least until the exams begin) So here's the next chapter you've been waiting so patiently for ;) the last chapter ended on a mini cliffhanger, so now we'll see it escalate and how it plays out. Hope you guy enjoy it! :D_

Chapter 5

The results she found made her heart stop. She drew in a sharp breath and there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. The word jumped up at her, like a cat ready to pounce.

The Rhododendron's meaning : danger.

Felicity felt her body go rigid. _Danger,_ she repeated in her head. Her stomach lurched and she bolted to the bathroom. She made it just in time, before she threw up. After a few minutes of sitting on the cool bathroom floor, and dry heaving a couple of times, she slowly got up. When she looked in the mirror she almost didn't recognize herself. She was white as a sheet, had smeared lipstick and her hair was now a matted mess. She was all too grateful that she was alone in the bathroom and that Oliver hadn't arrived yet. She didn't want him to see her this way. She spashed some cold water in her face, hoping to bring back some colour into her pale cheeks. Just then the door opened and Isabel walked in, stopping when she saw Felicity. She looked her over then gave her iconic evil smirk.

"Tough morning sickness huh? That really is a shame.",she said sarcastically and continued before Felicity could respond. "I have to ask though, how far along are you?"

"_Excuse me?!_", Felicity replied, stunned at the brunette's bluntness.

"Oh please, like it isn't obvious. Why else would you suddenly be promoted to EA without _any_ qualifications, aside from an abundance of short skirts. And I would like to remind you Mrs Smoak, that this is a serious and proffesional company meant for hard working people. Not some shopping spree for a lazy opportunist. So take my advice, and leave QC. Women like yourself are not welcome here."

Felicity was furious. First Isabel critisizes her relationship with Oliver,calling her a gold digger, and then even has the nerve to underestimate her qualifications. Having had enough, she let her rage boil over.

"Seriously Isabel! I am _not _pregnant! How dare you? How dare you even think for one moment that I'm using Oliver! And for what? His money? I couldn't care less about his money! He could be broke and I still wouldn't care.", she said, then paused and glared at Isabel. "And as for my qualifications, you truly have _no_ idea what I am capable of. Given a computer and internet, I could have you ruined and bankrupt all in thirty minutes. So next time you feel like getting some reading done, Isabel, take a look at my application form. I can guarantee you that you'll be busy for quite a while."

And with that, she left. She could sense that Isabel was stunned into silence and desperately wanted to see the look on her face, but instead kept on walking. She slowed her pace when she saw Oliver in his office talking on his phone, his back to her. She took her opportunity and hurried stealthily to her desk. Unfortunately, Oliver saw her movement and immediately made up a lame excuse and hung up on his call. He saw in front of her in an instant, his hands placed gently on her upper arms. He looked at her in concern.

"Felicity, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I just don't feel well. It's probably from eating too much takeout or something. It'll blow over, I'd just really appreciate it if I could maybe take today off? Don't worry, I'll still go to the lair tonight."

"Sure, it's fine. Take all the time you need, and I mean it Felicity.", he replied. "You want me to drive you home?"

"No, really it's fine. I'm fine!", she said with a shaky voice. She'd caught sight of the mini bouquet again and quickly threw it into the trashcan.

Oliver raised an eyebrow in question, but when she didn't answer he decided not to push the matter.

"Yeah, let me rephrase that: I'm driving you home.", he said, his voice leaving no room for discusion.

As they drove to her apartment she tried to avert her thoughts from the flowers and their message, but it was all in vain. Was she in danger? Was Oliver in danger? She wasn't sure, and that frustrated her. The whole message was extremely vague, yet had a massive impact. They parked, and Oliver walked her into the building and to her floor. She unlocked her apartment door and gave him an affectionate peck on the lips. His hands came up to cup her face as he spoke.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I think this time it's _my _turn to play docter with _you_."

She blushed at the memory of telling Oliver that she got to play docter with him. Her brain really _did_ think of the worst way to say things. She smiled at him.

"I'm sure. Besides I'm certain that Isabel will have your head if you miss another meeting. She already hates me enough, thinking that I'm a pregnant gold digger..."

"Wait, _what_?!", he asked, clearly upset with Isabel.

"You know what, nevermind. We'll talk about it later."

As he turned to leave, she considered telling him about the flowers but then though better of it. Once in her appartment, she kicked off her shoes and headed towards her room. She absent-mindedly glanced towards her bed. She froze in her tracks. On her bed pillow lay a single black rose with a tag attached to it.

As if in a trance, she moved towards the pillow. She picked up the rose and saw that the meaning was written on the tag this time. All the time in the world could not have prepared her for what she saw next. The meaning on the tag read simply: _DEATH._ It struck her like a blow to the chest, knocking the air out of her. She abruptly dropped the rose and staggered backwards, colliding with an end table. She knocked off a vase in the process, causing it to shatter loudly and spray shards of glass everywhere. When she stepped onto the broken glass with her bare feet,cutting her foot by doing so, the pain brought her back to reality. She screamed in a mixture of terror and pain, and then bolted from her apartment. Just as she turned the corner, she collided with a solid wall of muscle moving in her direction. She jumped and gave a yelp.

"Hey, Felicity. It's okay, it's me. What's wrong? Are you hurt?", came Oliver's concerned voice.

She wrapped her arms around him and tried to contain her tears. Her breathing was labored and she was shaking violently. Oliver was whispering words of comfort into her hair, his warm breath ghosting down her neck. She couldn't hold back any longer and let the tears roll down her cheeks. She felt light headed as a result of the lack of oxygen. Oliver noticed this and pulled away.

"Felicity, you need to breath. You're hyperventilating. Just listen to my voice, okay? I'm here, I've got you."

His soft voice comforted her and she relaxed a little. In a few minutes her breathing was reasonably normal again. He pulled her into another embrace and she buried her face in his chest. She breathed in his masculine scent and sighed. They moved down the hall to the elevator, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. That's when he noticed her slight limping. He spotted her foot and immediately stopped and knelt down to get a better look. He gently moved her to the side of the hall. She leaned against the wall for support when he carefully took her foot in his hands, inspecting her cuts. His eyes filled with concern.

"What happened? I thought you weren't hurt?", he said with a worried look.

"Uhm... I guess I just didn't realize it until now, because of... you know... adrenaline and stuff. Don't worry, it was just glass. I, uhm... kind of knocked over a vase in my apartment..."

"Let's go get you cleaned up.", he said and they walked to the elevator, with her leaning most of her weight onto him.

The elevator ride was quiet. The door opened and they walked through the lobby. When they stepped outside she shivered. Oliver noticed and then shrugged out of his perfectly tailored jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. The jacket was baggy around her delicate frame, but she appreciated his scent that now enveloped her. She could see Diggle in the car waiting for Oliver. When he saw her however, his eyes widened, making her wonder how terrible she really looked. Oliver opened the door for her then went around the car and got in on the other side.

"Diggle, take us to the mansion.", he said.

She looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head. Under _no_ circumstances would she ever go near the mansion. She'd feel way too uncomfortable if she was in Oliver's home.

"Felicity, this is not up for discussion. Clearly something in your apartment spooked you and I'm not letting you stay there if you feel unsafe.", he said and then lowered his voice. "Besides, I already think about you all day. It would drive me insane if I knew that you didn't feel safe."

His eyes told her that he desperately wanted to know what had happened in her apartment and she gave him a silent answer telling him that she would later. He kissed her on her forehead and drew her to his side. She snuggled up to him, feeling safe in his warm and strong embrace. They pulled up in front of the mansion, her heart racing. It was so loud that she could swear Oliver heard it. He came around to open the door for her and took her hand, leading her up the stairs to the front door.

Once inside, she had to stop her mouth from falling open. The place was HUGE! The foyer alone was bigger than her whole apartment. She was so in awe of the place that she barely noticed when Moira appeared at the top of the staircase. When Felicity finally caught sight of her, she gave a small squeak of surprise. Oliver turned quickly to see what had startled Felicity. When he saw his mother he went to greet her, while having his hand on the small of Felicity's back. Moira was watching them carefully, obviously calculating their relationship.

"Oliver dear, what are you doing home so early? Aren't you supposed to be at work?", Moira said, her eyes flicking between the two.

"Mom, this is Felicity, my girlfriend.", he said with a proud smile. "She wasn't feeling too well today and since they're renovating her apartment, I suggested that she stay here for a few days."

Moira looked taken aback by the news, which was expected. After all, they hadn't told anyone yet and hearing of her son's sudden relationship with a girl she'd never met before was bound to come as a surprise to her. She looked Felicity over, suddenly noticing that she was pale and shaking. When her gaze landed on her foot her eyes went wide.

"Felicity dear, your foot! Oh goodness, what happened?"

"I uhm... just stepped on some broken glass.", Felicity replied.

"You just wait here a second and I'll have Raisa get-"

"Don't worry mom. I'll take care of her.", Oliver interrupted taking hold of Felicity's hand and looking at her lovingly. It made her heart melt into a puddle and the butterflies in her stomach were now partying harder than a full house at Verdant.

"Very well then. Lovely meeting you Felicity, I can see that my son cares deeply for you. I hope that you feel better soon.", Moira said with a smile.

"It's great to meet you too Mrs. Queen."

"Please, call me Moira."

Felicity smiled and nodded, before Oliver led her up the staircase. The pain in her foot had become unbearable and about halfway up the stairs, she stumbled and would've fell if it weren't for Oliver's quick reflexes. Without a word Oliver scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. She protested bit, but gave up when he didn't budge. He carried her all the way up the stairs and then into a room. He gently sat her down on the couch and went into the en suite bathroom. He returned moments later with a first aid kit. He placed her injured foot on top of a pillow on a low table, sitting down on a chair opposite her. He went to work carefully taking small pieces of glass out of her foot. She clenched her fists into the sheets and bit her lip to keep her from crying out. After that he cleaned and bandaged her foot, then finished by placing a soft kiss to her ankle. A blush crept up her face as he placed a trail of kisses up her leg, stopping at the hem of her skirt.

"Better now?", he asked.

She swallowed heavily and nodded, not trusting her voice. He took her hand in his and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Felicity, what happened in there?", he asked, never breaking eye contact.

Her pulse picked up speed again. _Oh no Felicity, don't you dare! You are not going to have a panic attack, keep your shit together!_ she told herself and sighed.

"A couple of days ago I received a bunch of flowers with a tag saying that every flower has its meaning. The flowers meaning turned out to be beware. I was pretty freaked out, but after a couple of days nothing happened so I just forgot about it. Until this morning. I found a bunch of flowers on my desk and their meanings were danger, hatred and I think beware as well. That really scared me, so I decided to go home and try to make sense of everything but then... then I found the rose...", she paused and took a deep breath.

"The meaning of it was death. After that I just full on panicked. I ran into you on my way out and yeah...now I'm here..."

Oliver looked positively pale and his brows knit together.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"You already had so much going on and I didn't want to add on to the pile of problems to deal with.", she replied, looking down at the floor.

"Felicity, look at me.", he said gently. "You can come to me with _anything_. I mean it. You're never a problem or an interference. You can always come to me, no matter what."

He took her face in his hands and leaned in. The kiss started as soft and gentle, but turned into something driven by passion and desire. He deepened the kiss and put his hands on her hips. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling the hard and sculpted muscle under her fingers. Before things could go further the door opened and a loud female voice filled the silence.

"So Ollie, mom told me that you have a girlfriend. Who I did not know about! Care to ex...", her sentance was cut off by her loud shriek when she caught sight of the two making out.

"Oh no! You guys, seriously? Get a room!"

"Actually Thea, we are in a room. My room to be exact.", he said, sounding a little amused.

"Well maybe a sign next time? Or a warning."

"Sure thing, Speedy.", he then motioned to Felicity. "This is my girlfriend, Felicity. She works with me at Queen Consolidated."

"Hi.", Thea said. "Oh, what happened to your foot?"

"Oh I just, uhm, stepped on some glass."

Thea winced and spotted their still joined hands. She smiled.

"Well Felicity, it was great to _finally_ meet you. I'm going to leave now and let you guys get back to...", she said, wiggling her eyebrows at the end.

Felicity laughed. Then it dawned on her that Oliver had said that they were in his room. She looked around. It wasn't very personal. The room, like the rest of the mansion, was huge. There was a fireplace and couch on the one end of the room and a king size bed on the other. Looking at the bed, she realized how tired she was and yawned. Although it was barely 11:00 in the morning, her adrenaline crash had exhausted her. Oliver saw her yawn and suddenly picked her up and moved towards the bed.

"Oliver, I can walk. You don't have to carry me."

"Well maybe I enjoy carrying you...", he replied, smiling the smile he reserved especially for her.

Once in bed, he pulled the covers over her and placed a tender kiss on her head.

"Rest.", was all he said.

And so she drifted off to sleep, the only way to momentarily forget about all the pain and haunting memories that kept flooding into her head.

AN: Another one done! Really hope you liked it. Again, I'm really sorry that it took so long. I'll see if I can post another chapter over the weekend. If not, you'll have to wait till next weekend :( Oh, and when exams begin, I'll be leaving you for a couple of weeks until it's over. Favs/Follows/Reviews please ;) xx


	6. Dinner Gone Wrong

_AN: Hey everyone, I'm really sorry that it took so long to publish this chapter. I've been super busy with school stuff etc. I'm trying to get chapters out as fast as I can! Hope I can keep up... Another twist in this chapter... Mwahahaha! Hope you enjoy :D_

Chapter 6

Once in bed, he pulled the covers over her and placed a tender kiss on her head.

"Rest.", was all he said.

And so she drifted off to sleep, the only way to momentarily forget about all the pain and haunting memories that kept flooding into her head.

When Felicity woke up it was already dark outside. Feeling slightly dazed, she turned to lie on her back. She was startled when she found that she was looking at a high, dark wooden ceiling instead of her lower white one. She sat up in a panic, having no idea where she was. Then the memories came flooding back to her. The flowers, Oliver driving her to her apartment, the rose on her pillow... A shiver ran down her spine thinking about it and her breathing shallowed. She felt like she was having another panic attack. She hurried to the bathroom and switched on the lights, taking away her fears. She'd never been afraid of the dark, or at least not until now. She felt so pathetic about it, but she just couldn't stand being alone in the dark. It was as if the person following her would jump out from the shadows and attack her. She leaned heavily on the counter, as her foot was still injured and hurting like hell. She would have to ask Oliver for some pain meds. Jut then she heard the bedroom door open and someone walk in.

"Felicity!", she heard Oliver call out.

"In here.", she replied.

He walked in with a relieved expression on his face. She also noticed that he was looking a little more dressed up. He was wearing a dark jean and a white T-shirt with a leather jacket. Not exactly evening wear, but not the type of clothes you'd wear when you're staying home. _Oh my gosh, he totally looks sexy in leather! No surprise there..._At that moment Oliver leaned in towards her and whispered,

"Good to know. I'll remember that the next time I put on the Arrow suit."

She blushed instantly.

"Crap, did I really say that out loud?", she replied, squeezing her eyes shut.

Oliver chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"I see you're all dressed up. You going somewhere, Queen?", she asks.

She noticed him tense a little, his jaw set.

"Aparently my mom invited the Lance's over to dinner, with Sara excluded of course. They arrive in an hour.", he said and grimaced.

"And do I have to make an appearance at this dreaded dinner?"

"I would appreciate it, but it's completely fine if you don't feel up to it."

"No it's fine, I'll go. Let me get ready first."

"Felicity, are you sure?", he asked gently.

"Yes Oliver, I'm sure.", she said, then smiled. "As long as I get to sit next to you."

"Done.", he replied quickly.

He noticed her pained expression and concern clouded his face.

"You okay?"

"Mmhmm, it's just my foot that's hurting again."

Oliver walked over to the bathroom cabinet and got out some pills. Shortly afterwards he gave her the pills and a glass of water. She took them eagerly.

"Those should help with the pain. They won't make you drowsy either."

"Thanks.", she replied, already feeling the pain ebb away.

With that he left her to prepare for the dinner. She settled on a black sleeved dress, knee length. She opted for straight, loose hair and decided to leave her glasses on. Slipping on her flats, she headed downstairs just in time. She knew that the black dress was maybe a little too much, but she couldn't help feeling threatned knowing that Laurel was coming. _Gorgeous_ _Laurel_. Laurel was the perfect model with her long, tanned legs and her perfectly proportioned curves. Felicity felt like she was no match for her and was scared that Oliver would rethink their whole relationship. She was, however, even more scared as to how Laurel would react when she found out that she and Oliver were a 'thing'.

Heading downstairs, she could hear Oliver talking to someone over the phone and saw Thea sitting on the couch. When Thea spotted her she immediately stood up and made her way to Felicity, pulling her into a hug. Felicity was startled by the action, but returned the hug.

"How are you feeling?", Thea asked.

"Much better, thanks. I really hope I'm not intruding your family dinner tonight. If I had known I would've stayed at a hotel or something.", she replied.

"Oh please! It's a pleasure having you here. Besides, the dinners get kind of boring after a while so it'll be nice to have someone to talk to.", Thea said, winking.

Felicity smiled. She liked Thea. She was fun and quirky, but not snobbish like the tabloids made her seem. The doorbell rang, getting their attention. Oliver hung up on his call and joined the girls at the door, his hand on the small of Felicity's back. His touch sent a bolt of electricity up her spine. Thea opened the door and greeted their guests. Lance entered, glaring at Oliver and giving Felicity a small nod. When Laurel entered, Felicity felt uncomfortable. She was wearing a deep purple dress, hugging her curves. The outfit was simple, but she pulled it off stunningly.

"Ollie! So good to see you!", she said, hugging him. She then noticed Felicity standing aside awkwardly. "Oh, who's this?"

"This is Felicity...", he announced, uncertain of to introduce her without making things weird this early in their dinner.

"Oh... Hi Felicity.", Laurel greeted hesitantly.

Felicity pretended to smile, but inside she was freaking out. Why hadn't Oliver introduced her as his girlfriend as he had with his mother and Thea? Was he really considering taking Laurel back? All of these questions filled her mind as she silently follwed the rest into the dining room. They all took their seats. Oliver pulled out a chair for her and then sat down next to her, as promised. Their food was served and everyone started talking enthusiastically. Felicity, feeling a little out of place, simply poked at the food on her plate. Oliver noticed this and was about to say something, when he was cut off by Moira and was dragged into the conversation. When Felicity looked across the table, she saw Thea silently nibbling on her Ravioli as well. Felicity caught her eye and gave her a small smile. Thea took this as a sign to engage in some small talk. They chatted for a while about some of their childhood memories, some of which were extremely funny and had them gasping for breath. Finally, Thea turned to more serious questions.

"So...you and Ollie huh?", she said, wriggling her eyebrows."Tell me a little more about you two."

The dining room had suddenly grown very quiet and Felicity knew that everyone, including Laurel, had heard the question. She saw Laurel's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"What about them?", Laurel asked skeptically.

"Oh you know, the basics. Where they first met, how they fell in love, their first kiss..."

"Wait, what?!", Laurel practically yelled.

"Laurel sweetie, calm down.", Lance warned quietly.

"No dad, I want to hear this. Ollie what is Thea talking about? Are you and Felicity dating?"

"As a matter of a fact Laurel, yes. Felicity is my girlfriend and she and I are together."

Laurel snorted and muttered something under her breath that sounded very much like a _Yeah, how long will that last_. Oliver heard this and glared at her.

"I'm sorry, what was that?", he asked.

"I was just wondering how long your 'relationship' will last. I mean let's face it, your track record with women is definitely not the best."

"Laurel, I know it's hard for you to see, but I'm not like that anymore. I've changed and I plan to not make the same mistakes as I did before. Felicity and I love each other and will be together for a _very_ long time.", he replied, placing a hand on Felicity's thigh.

It made her stomach to flip flops hearing him emphasize the 'very'. Laurel was looking furious and jealous.

"And what makes you think that this time is any different? Why on earth would it work between you two if it hadn't worked with anyone else before? And tell me what the hell you have with this skank that you didn't have with me?!"

"_LAUREL!_", Oliver, Thea and Lance said in unison.

Felicity felt the tears burning behind her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She would not let them see how affected she truly was. She quietly excused herself from the dinner and fled the dining room. Oliver glared angrily at Laurel.

"See. What did I tell you?", she heard Laurel say to Oliver, just as she was out of the dining room.

Felicity spun on her heels and stalked over to Laurel, who was now standing.

"Okay listen up Laurel! You have no right to be critisizing my relationship with Oliver. Just because things didn't work out for you two, doesn't mean that it won't for us. You broke up, it's over, get over it! Don't get up in my face because you can't handle the truth; that he's moved on. So don't get your lawyer-panties in a twist when he says that he loves me!"

She heard Thea try to contain a giggle after her last sentence. Laurel simply got her things and left the room, Lance not far behind her. He gave them an apologetic look before following his daughter out. Felicity sighed.

"I'm really sorry for ruining your dinner Moira.", she said quietly.

"It's alright dear. And you're right, Laurel had no right to speak of your relationship with Oliver that way.", Moira replied and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Besides, this was the best dinner party we've ever had! I'm _so_ glad that someone finally stood up to Laurel. She was really getting on my nerves.", Thea added.

Oliver gave her a hard look before turning back to Felicity. Felicity then excused herself and had to keep herself from running from the room. Her pace increased once she was out of their sight and pretty soon she was running up the stairs and into Oliver's room. She felt the tears burning at the back of her eyes, threatening to spill over. She forced them down knowing that Oliver would probaby come looking for her and she would _not_ let him see her cry. At that moment, Oliver gently knocked on the door.

"Felicity it's me. Please let me in.", he almost begged.

She made her way to the door and opened it. His face sported a mixture of emotions. She could see worry (but then again that was a permanent feature), anger, shame, relief and hurt. She moved to the side to let him in and then shut the door behind him. She turned to see him looking at her with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry.", she said. "I shouldn't have gone at Laurel like that, let alone attend the dinner. Now everything is awkward between you guys and it's my fault...I should've known better than to think that everyone would just take the news and not bat an eye. Maybe it was a mistake staying here...you know what, it's fine, I'll just go back to my apartment tomorrow morning..."

"No. Felicity you are not going anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it. What happened at dinner tonight was not your fault. Laurel was the one who started with the mean comments, so evidently she had it coming. If not from you, then from me. Please, don't leave me.", he said.

"Okay.", she whispered.

"I'm so sorry about Laurel.", he said, looking genuinely sorry. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes Oliver, I never doubted that. And I love you too."

He then took her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

"Say it again.", he implored.

"I love you."

He smiled and chuckled, then opened his eyes.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you say that.", he said.

"Well that's good, 'cause you're going to be hearing it for a _very_ long time.", she replied, accentuating the 'very' as he had done earlier.

She saw his eyes darken at this. Her breathing hitched in her throat when she saw his eyes flick to her lips. He then captured her lips with his own, turning her head to deepen the kiss. His hands traveled down to her hips, leaving tingly sensations in their wake. He pushed her back against the wall and lifted her thighs to wrap around his waist. Just as he started to undo the zip on her back, they heard the door open.

"Seriously?! You have got to be kidding me, not again!", Thea said.

"Knock much.", Oliver muttered, clearly annoyed.

"I did. _Twice_. I just wanted to ask Lis if she's okay, but it looks like she's handling Laurel's bitching pretty well. It's okay if I call you Lis right?"

"Sure.", Felicity answered.

Thea left and closed the door. Oliver turned to her, smiling.

"What?", she asked, confused.

"You've barely been here for a day and you already have a nickname. I knew my family would like you, but then again who wouldn't?", he replied and winked at her.

She gave him one last affectionate kiss on the lips, then turned to the bathroom to shower.

"Want me to join you?", he asked with a seductive smile.

It took everything in her to refrain from accepting his tempting offer. She forced herself to shake her head.

"Maybe next time.", she replied.

When she exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her otherwise naked body, she saw Oliver in a pair of sleepshorts and shirtless. The sight affected her more than she had expected. His hair looked a little damp, so she assumed that he had showered in another bathroom. She then realized that she didn't have any of her own clothes there. _Crap,_ she thought.

"My closet is back there.", Oliver said pointing across the room.

_Damn, it's like he can read my mind._ She also noticed how he was intently staring at her overly exposed legs and her bare shoulders. She blushed and hurried to the massive walk-in closet. She slipped on one of his button up shirts and stayed in her panties. The shirt was loose and oversized on her small frame, but still showed a bit of leg. She stepped out of the closet. She heard Oliver's breathing hitch when he saw her. She joined him on the bed and slipped underneath the covers. He followed her lead and pulled her against him.

"You look good in my clothes.", he whispered affectionately.

She hummed in agreement.

"I like wearing you're clothes. They smell like you...", she mumbled sleepily.

Normally she would've given a long explanation as to how she knew what he smelled like, but she was too tired to care. She nestled herself into his chest and sighed contently. She was asleep within a matter of minutes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day Felicity literally had to beg Oliver to let her go to work. It took a lot of persuading, but he had reluctantly given in to her request. It was a slow day with way too many meetings. When it was six o'clock, she started to pack up her things to head home with Oliver (he had insisted on this). However when Oliver walked towards her desk, she knew that the night was not over yet.

"Isabel just called. She said that the Applied Sciences Department arranged a last minute meeting. I'll have Diggle drive you home and I'll meet you there as soon as the meeting is over.", he said.

"Oliver, please. I think I can handle one more meeting.", she said and ended it with an involuntary yawn.

"Yeah I don't think so. Go home, get rest. I promise I'll call once the meeting is over."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek, before heading out towards the elevator with Diggle.

"So how are things going with you and Oliver?", he asked once the doors closed.

"Great. To be honest, it still feels like I'm dreaming."

"I'm glad. You've changed him, you know. You bring out his more human side and keep his bullshit in check. I was beginning to think I'd never live to see the day that Oliver Queen, the Arrow, fell in love."

She smiled at him and they exited into the parking lot. She slid into the backseat of the Bentley and fastened her seatbelt. She leaned her head against the window, deep in thought. They were good thoughts: about her and Oliver, their future together, if they'd ever get married (she certainly hoped so), even though that was a little far in their future. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of squealing tires. The next thing she knew, a car collided with them from the side at high speed. Her head slammed against the window and she saw black spots cloud her vision. Their car was rolling and she was grateful for wearing her seatbelt, even though it was cutting into her chest painfully. Her head slammed into the window once more and all she could see was darkness.

After what must have been a few minutes, she heard the window shatter. Then rough hands were pulling her from the car. She felt the broken glass cut into her bare legs, bringing her back into consciousness. She could make out the bleary form of a man, his face covered with a ski mask.

"We warned you.", was all he said in such a deep voice, she could've sworn he was using a voice modulator.

She saw him swing a long metal thing in her direction and before she could block the blow it came down on her, and everything went dark.

AN: Ohhh, scary right! Now you're probably going to hate me for making you wait till next weekend...Life's not fair, I know... And FYI, I finally watched the first episode of season 3 and I have to say, I am loving all the Olicity 3 :D Anyways, let me know what you think and Fav/Follow/Review ;)


	7. Seeking Revenge

_AN: And welcome back everybody! I'm sure you're all dying to know what's happened to Felicity, so I'll cut the crap and say all my nice words at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!_

Chapter 7

"We warned you.", was all he said in such a deep voice, she could've sworn he was using a voice modulator.

She saw him swing a long metal thing in her direction and before she could block the blow it came down on her, and everything went dark.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oliver had been caught up in the meeting longer than he had expected. About halfway through he started to think about Felicity and how he wished that she was there with him. She always kept him focused with an occasional nudge or saved his ass by answering a question he was asked while he was, as Felicity called it, 'zoned out'. It was already eight o'clock when the meeting finally ended. Oliver pulled out his phone and, as promised, called to check in with Felicity. His brows furrowed when it went to voicemail. It wasn't like Felicity to not answer her phone. She would even wake whilst sleeping to answer her phone. Next he tried Diggle, but no answer there either. Something was wrong.

Just as he left the conference room, he saw Detective Lance heading straight towards him.

"Mr Queen, can I talk to you for second?", Lance said, not really asking.

"Sure, is everything alright Detective?", he asked.

The detective sighed.

"We got a call from a civilian. He witnessed what seems like a kidnapping about four blocks from here. The car was registered to you, Mr Queen. We arrived at the scene and found your bodyguard, Mr John Diggle, unconscious in the driver's seat. He's got a few scrapes and bruises, but he'll be alright."

Oliver's throat constricted when Felicity's name was not yet mentioned, and Lance said it had been a kidnapping. That could only mean...

"Unfortunately an employee of yours, Felicity Smoak, was taken during the attack. We've come to the conclusion that she's been kidnapped.", Lance ended.

His stomach twisted into a tight knot. Felicity had been kidnapped and he hadn't been there. If only he hadn't made her leave the office... Suddenly his fear was accompanied be anger and regret.

"Where is Mr Diggle now?", he growled.

"Still at the crime scene. Stubborn man wouldn't go to the hospital, let alone leave."

"Take me there."

The detective answered by giving a short nod. When they arrived at the scene of the kidnapping, Oliver felt his stomach drop. The car was wrecked. It was lying upside down, with all of the windows smashed in. On the passenger's side he saw a large dent. He desperately prayed that Felicity chose to sit in the backseat. He felt the car slow down and got out, before it could completely stop. He then saw Diggle sitting in the back of an ambulance, trying to get rid of the paramedics surrounding him. He walked over to him and looked him over. He had a few cuts from the glass, some worse than others, and a bruise on the side of his face. Other than that he looked fine, and Oliver was deeply grateful for that.

"Diggle, are you okay man? What happened?", he asked.

"We were driving when a car rammed into us from the side, causing the Bently to roll. I blacked out right about then, but when I woke up Felicity was gone. I guess whoever took her pulled her from the wreckage and sped off immediately.", Diggle replied with remorse.

"Digg, this is not your fault.", Oliver said and then growled. "We need to get to the lair as soon as possible and find out who took Felicity."

When they reached the lair, they bolted for the computers. Diggle sat in Felicity's desk chair and started typing. He wasn't as quick or as good as she was, but they had no choice.

"Diggle, can you run through the traffic cameras and pull up the footage of the crime scene?", Oliver asked.

Diggle nodded and started typing again. An alert went off and Diggle played the footage. They watched as a black SUV rammed into the side of the Bently. Oliver narrowed his eyes.

"There's no license plate.", he stated simply.

He felt his body go rigid as he watched Felicity's limp body being dragged out of the car. She stirred slightly and was then hit in the head with what looked like a...crowbar? _SERIOUSLY?! A crowbar?! _Oliver was fuming with rage. He was already mad enough when he heard that she'd been taken, but to actually _see_ her get _hurt_... That sent him over the edge. Just as he turned, ready to beat the living shit out of the training dummy, they heard another alert.

Diggle turned to Oliver,

"It's a live video call. The Caller ID is blocked."

At a small nod from Oliver, he opened the call. The sight made Oliver's heart stop and his gut clench.

"Good evening Oliver Queen, or should I say, The Arrow!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Felicity opened her eyes, she could barely see a thing. It was dark with an eerie light shining beneath the door. _Where am I?_ she asked herself. Then the memories came tumbling back like a ton of bricks. The crash, the pain, and then nothing. She hoped that Diggle made it out okay. The room she was being held in was cold and made of concrete. Strangely enough, it seemed as though her captors had the decency to let her keep her glasses. When she tried to lift her hands to adjust them, she was met with resistance. Her hands and ankles were tied to the chair she was sitting on.

She shifted in her seat and looked around the small room. She decided that it was a bad idea when it caused a throbbing pain to work its way though her skull. With a groan she dropped her head in an effort to relieve the pain. Suddenly the lights went on and she heard the door swing open. She had to squint against the blinding light, which was not really helping her pounding headache. When her eyes adjusted she could see three men entering the small room. Two of the men she didn't recognize. They were armed, tall and built like rocks. Nothing Oliver couldn't handle, though. They were probably the muscle of the operation. However, when her gaze landed on the third man, she stopped breathing. It was the man they'd been searching for for almost a month. Carlos Lopez. She suddenly realized that this was probably about the Arrow, but then why take her? She hadn't left a trail with her searches and had never made an appearance with the Arrow. Unless Lopez knew about Oliver. _Oh shit, _she thought.

Lopez made his way to Felicity, while the bodyguards guarded the door. He looked at her with an evil smile and anger burning in his eyes. Her heart was racing in her chest. She held his gaze, unwilling to let him see her fear. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees. She squirmed in her seat, trying to evade his touch. He stood up, laughing at her discomfort, and started circling the chair she was sitting in.

"Comfortable, Ms Smoak? I hope David didn't rough you up too much." he said, motioning to one of the bodyguards. "You and I still have to have some fun."

"What do you want?", she hissed at him, with all the courage she could muster.

He chuckled.

"Ms Smoak, I'm certain you know by now that I am aware of you connection to the Arrow. I am also aware of the fact that the Arrow is none other than Oliver Queen. And you see Ms Smoak, I have a debt to settle with both the Arrow and Mr Queen. I have thought long and hard of way to collect on my debt and I think _you_ would be the perfect payment."

Felicity gulped.

"If it's money you want, you've got the wrong person. I'm just another employee at QC, Oli- Mr Queen wouldn't pay a ransom for me."

This caused the evil man to give a short and sinister laugh. His hand grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?", he said through gritted teeth.

She could see that he was trying to contain his anger. He then pulled out a photo from his jacket and showed it to her. She swallowed hard. It was a picture of Oliver kissing her hand in the parking lot at QC. The look in his eyes sent the butterflies in her stomach on a rampage. There was no denying that Oliver looked utterly in love in the photo.

"Ms Smoak, this is not about money. No amount of money in the world could fill the void Mr Queen's actions have caused. The debt I have to settle with him is much more...personal.", he said with a cold, hard voice. "I'm sure you are aware of the fact that most of the Glades was destroyed during the Undertaking. The Undertaking caused by Mr Queen and his family. That night our house collapsed on my wife...I had to watch her die in my arms, because of Oliver Queen!"

She could see the livid look in his eyes. She didn't like where this was going.

"Now I'm simply returning the favour.", he said coldly.

Felicity was paralyzed in fear. Lopez was going to kill her and Oliver would have to watch. He would blame himself. It would brake him. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks before she could stop them. However, her sadness quickly turned into rage.

"You have no idea what you're taking about! Oliver was never part of the Undertaking, Malcom Merlyn was responsible for that! Oliver tried to _save_ the Glades, not destroy it! And what does he get in return? Not praise or gratefulness, oh no. He gets assholes like you trying to kill him!"

Lopez clenched his jaw and struck her across her face, causing her glasses to fly off her face and clatter on the floor. She bit her lip to keep her from crying out. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He stepped closer and grabbed her ponytail, pulling her head back.

"Why don't we have a little chat with Mr Queen? I'm sure he's _dying_ to see you again."

He spun her chair around and she saw a table with a video camera and a monitor. He dragged her chair closer and turned on the monitor. He typed something and in a matter of seconds, Oliver and Diggle appeared on the screen. Lopez gripped her now loose ponytail and pulled it back slightly, causing her to wince. When Diggle and Oliver both turned to them, she assumed that the video camera was live. The look in Oliver's eyes nearly broke her in half. He was outraged and at the same time broken with guilt. She tried her best to put on a brave face, both for Oliver and for Diggle.

"Good evening Oliver Queen, or should I say, The Arrow!", Lopez greeted.

She saw Oliver clench his fists and Diggle visibly tensed.

"Lopez.", Oliver growled.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why I've gone and kidnapped Ms Smoak here. Well, the answer is simple.", he said, pulling her ponytail back sharply. It was so unexpected that Felicity couldn't hold back a loud yelp of pain.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!", Oliver roared.

Silent tears rolled down her face.

"Now, now, Mr Queen. Where are your manners? Shouting in front of a beautiful young lady and interrupting me. Tsk, tsk. Like I was saying, the answer is simple. You and your family were responsible for the Undertaking, as well as my wife's death. You took away the one I love, now I'm simply returning the favour. And once I'm done, her blood will be on your hands."

"Leave her out of this Lopez, kill me instead! I'm the one that you want, not her!", Oliver yelled back in desperation.

"Oh, if only it was that simple. Yes, I will kill you...eventually, but first you must experience the inextinguishable pain of loss. Only then will I kill you."

"Oliver, please don't listen to him! Don't let him get to you!", Felicity said, before she felt a hard hand slap her across the face, nearly causing her to topple over.

"FELICITY!", she heard Oliver yell.

"Goodbye for now Mr Queen. We'll be seeing you shortly."

"NO, wait!-", Oliver said, before the video was cut off and the monitor turned dark again.

Lopez went to stand in front of Felicity, pulling her head back to look at him.

"So, Ms Smoak, shall we get started?"

AN: Oops...another cliffhanger (I swear this one was unintentional, it just felt so appropriate to end the chapter there)...Please don't hate me too much, I swear I'm working SUPER hard on getting the next chapter out asap. At least you now know who took Felicity. And I forgot to mention this from the beginning, but I'm just saying (in case you're wondering) -**Disclaimer**: I do not own Arrow or the characters, even though it would be epic if I did. As usual thanks a million for the support and reviews, I read them all with great enthusiasm. One last thing: When writing me a review, please don't use any acronyms... This might sound extremely stupid of me, but I'm not really familiar with a lot of acronyms and then I start guessing meanings and that never works out... Furthermore, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (I know it's a little shorter than the previous one, so please forgive me :( ) Hope I can get the next chapter out before next weekend, but if not, I'm really sorry. Love you all! xx


	8. Author's Apology :(

AN: Hey guys, I'm REALLY SORRY, but I got some bad news :( ... I know I said that I'd update this weekend and trust me, I really tried! But the exams are beginning this Wednesday, and it kind of snuck up on me. Long story short, I won't be updating this weekend or for about four weeks to come. I'm so extremely sorry and I feel utterly terrible, but please understand my situation. I want to be able to focus all of my energy on my studying to get good marks. They said that this exam counts for 60% of the entire year X( which is totally unfair, seeing as they only told us this term... Point is: I'm sorry, I hate myself, PLEASE forgive me! Don't send the League of Assassins after me...

Lots of love to you all, see you in December! DreamerDayjob xxx


	9. Finding Your Happy Place

_AN: I'M BACK! Oh my gosh, exams were a HUGE pain in the ass!(as usual) On the bright side I think I totally aced my Biology exam :D Big thanks to loulounana, annependragon and emily. for all your support for the exams :3. Soooo...Did you guys miss me? 'Cause I'll be honest, I really missed you guys! Is that weird? Anyways, I'm super-exctied that I can start writing again :D Again, I'm really sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'm happy to say that The League of Assasins did NOT come after me! Also, I read through my chapters again and I found a few mistakes that I'm SO embarrassed about, I swear I'll edit them but I want to finish the story first. Sorry if this chapter is not exactly up to par, these exams have messed with my mind and ability to think. Warning! This chapter includes a few torture scenes, so it's not for sensitive readers. I promise I am not saedistic! Enjoy! :D xx_

Chapter 8

"NO, wait!-", Oliver said, before the video was cut off and the monitor turned dark again.

Lopez went to stand in front of Felicity, pulling her head back to look at him.

"So, Ms Smoak, shall we get started?"

Felicity froze in fear. She was going to die at the hands of a madman. She could see the overwhelming rage in his eyes and he was driven by it. She knew that the rage and pain was causing him to act irrationally. She could only sit there and hope that Oliver and Diggle would find her in time. Lopez turned and briefly left the room. She was just about to sigh in relief when he entered again, pushing a metal cart. There were various knives and contraptions displayed on it as well as a large bucket of water. _Please, please, please hurry Oliver!_ she begged silently.

"Hmm where to start?", Lopez wondered aloud.

His fingers danced over the various objects on the cart. His gaze fell on the bucket of water and he stopped, sporting a wicked grin. He moved the bucket off the cart and onto the floor. He then stalked back to her and cut the ropes on her wrists and ankles loose. Gripping her hair, he pulled her to kneel infront of the bucket. One of the guards came closer and bound her wrists behind her back yet again. Lopez leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"Let's test the water, shall we?"

Before she could react, her head was thrust into the water. It was so sudden and unexpected that she gasped in surprise, swallowing water. She struggled hard against the force keeping her under, but her attempts were in vain. When it felt as though her lungs would burst any second, her head was pulled up and out of the water. She sputtered and coughed furiously. She had barely gotten her breathing under control, when she was pushed under again. As she struggled to hold her breath and break free, she heard a voice from her past.

She saw herself when she was younger, her hair a darker shade of blonde, and her father sitting next to her. She was still very young and her father had not left her yet. They sat in a comfortable silence, when Felicity told him about the boy that had bullied her at the preschool that day. He pulled his little girl closer to him.

"You want to know a secret Flick?", he asked. The little girl nodded eagerly.

"Whenever you're feeling hurt, like everything around you is going wrong, just go to your happy place. You'll make it through, I guarantee it!"

"But Daddy, how do I know what my happy place is?", the little girl replied.

"Don't worry sweetie. Trust me, you'll know when you find it.", he said and kissed the top of her head.

The raging fire in her lungs brought her back from the memory. Felicity wasn't sure if she could hold out much longer. _Happy place, Felicity! Happy place!_ she thought. She found herself thinking of Oliver. His strong embrace, his smile, his laugh...the way he would look at her when he thought she wasn't looking... She had to make it through. For him.

It took everything in her to stay conscious. Finally she was pulled up. She greedily breathed in the oxygen, coughing up some more water. Lopez looked thoroughly pissed at the fact the she was still conscious. He abruptly stood up and released the grip he had on her hair. She dropped to the floor in a small bundle, unable to keep herself upright. He walked around her and positioned himself infront of the bucket. He lifted it up and emptied it on her. The cold water came crashing down on her and drenched every inch of her body. Lopez then pulled her up roughly by her hair, causing the elastic hair to snap and send soaked locks of blonde hair falling around her shoulders. He shoved her into the chair and turned to the monitor.

"Your boyfriend is probably getting impatient by now. Why don't we say hi? We wouldn't want to keep him waiting, now would we?"

The screen lit up and Oliver and Diggle's faces came into view.

"Gentlemen! Lovely of you to join us again!"

Oliver's gaze landed on Felicity's wet, limp body. He looked purely homicidal.

"What the hell have you done to her?!" , he roared.

"Oh, not much...yet. I just thought you might want to join the party. The more the merrier, right?", Lopez replied from behind her.

That's when she heard it. The crackle of an electric shock. Lopez came to stand beside her, tazer in hand. She then realized what he planned on doing. He was going to electrocute her with Oliver and Diggle watching.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the lair, Diggle was still searching for Felicity and Oliver was finally beating the shit out of the training dummies. He was gradually feeling more and more hopeless. They had no leads at all and all of her trackers had been removed. He could be holding her in China for all he knew! That's what frustrated him the most out of this whole situation. He felt so helpless and could do nothing as Felicity was held captive and possibly tortured, because of him. If he had stopped the Undertaking, none of this would've happened. Except he didn't stop it. He had failed the city, and he had failed Felicity.

His brooding was then interrupted by a video call alert. When Diggle opened it, Oliver could barely take in the sight before him.

"Gentlemen! Lovely of you to join us again!", Lopez said.

His chest tightened when he saw her. She was soaking wet and she looked pale and exhausted. _What has he done to her?_ he wondered. His worry turned to rage, murderous thoughts rushing through his head.

"What the hell have you done to her?!", he roared in anger.

"Oh, not much. Yet. I just thought you might want to join the party. The more the merrier, right?"

Just then he heard the crackling sound of electricity. Lopez stepped foreward to present a tazer. Oliver's stomach tied into one giant knot. _He's going to electrocute her... _Oliver watched as Lopez neared Felicity and ripped open her blouse. She whimpered and Oliver balled his fists.

"Beautiful little doll, isn't she?", Lopez said and gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek. Oliver watched as she flinched away, with tears in her eyes.

"Don't. Touch. Her.", Oliver growled.

"Oh, Mr Queen. I really don't think that you're in the position to be making requests.", Lopez said, before thrusting the active tazer to Felicity's side.

She bit her lip until it bled in an attempt to keep in a scream. She was breathing erratically.

"No, stop this!", Oliver yelled. His heart broke in two seeing her in pain.

Lopez hurled the tazer at her once more, this time at her abdomen. She couldn't keep it in this time and screamed, tears pouring down her face. Her breathing had become laboured, which worried Oliver even more. The tazer was then set aside, much to Oliver's relief. He only hoped that Felicity hadn't obtained any fatal injuries from the electrocution. He knew from first hand experience that being electrocuted was no joke and, under serious circumstances...fatal.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Felicity was consumed by the pain flaring up from her middle. _Damn, electrocution sucks..._ she thought as she struggled for air. Lopez spoke again.

"Oh, looks like our time is up for now. We'll be seeing you later, gentlemen."

And with that he turned the monitor off once more, ignoring Oliver's protests.

She saw him as he turned back to the table with manic eyes. His hand hovered tentatively over the knives before coming to rest on a sharp edged knife. He twirled it around in his hand and walked over to her at a leisurely pace. Fear took hold of her, paralyzing her. He kneeled in front of her and lightly dragged the knife over her still sore abdomen. She whimpered.

"No, no, no, please don't!", she begged. She was annoyed that her voice sounded so weak and wavering, but she couldn't help it.

Lopez put a bit of pressure on the knife, cutting thin lines into her abdomen. They weren't very deep, but they sure as hell hurt. She winced and bit her lip. He looked up at her face and chuckled. The knife left her abdomen and rested on her cheekbone. She eyed it wearily and then held her breath when he moved in closer.

"There's no point in fighting it, Ms Smoak. Not even your knight in green leather can save you now.", he teased. His voice then turned bitter. "You will die and he will watch, just as I watched my wife die. You will die in the place that caused her death. The place that caused many deaths..."

He had a faraway look in his eyes, so she figured that he wasn't aware of what he'd just said. If what he had said was true, then that meant... She was in the Glades! Lopez had unknowingly just given her a way out. Now if she could just reach those moniters... She was brought back to reality by a sharp slap in the face. Lopez grabbed her chin and jerked it up to meet his face.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you! Understood?", he growled.

She nodded slightly. She made her eyelids droop a little, pretending to lose consciousness. He let go of her chin and stepped back a bit. She slowly let her head drop, closed her eyes and made her body go limp. She hoped that it looked convincing enough for them to leave.

"Sleep tight, Ms Smoak. I'll be seeing you shortly."

She heard the footsteps retreat and the door slam shut. After a few seconds of making sure she was alone, she opened her eyes. She scanned the room for guards. There were none. The room was also devoid of any surveillance cameras, much to her sursprise. She slowly stood up, but couldn't stand up straight because of the blinding pain in her abdomen. She made her way to the monitors. She then realized that her hands were still bound behind her back. Her eyes landed on the table with the knives. _Rookie mistake,_she teased in her mind. She fumbled for the knife, careful not to cut herelf. Once she was free she went and turned on the monitors. They came alive and she placed a video call to the foundry. In a matter of seconds the call was connected. _Wow, they have good wifi_, she thought. Oliver and Diggle popped up on the screen.

"Felicity? Are you okay? Where's Lopez?"

"Shh! I don't have much time. Lopez left a little while back. Oliver, I know where I am, I'm in the Glades!", she whispered. Felicity couldn't manage more than a breathy whisper even if she tried. She was exhausted and hurt all over.

"Okay, do you have any way for us to narrow down your location?", Diggle asked

Felicity's mind raced through all the possibilities. The video call was untracable and they had taken all of her trackers...or had they? Oh, how could she forget! She still had one more that they possibly hadn't noticed...

"Oliver, am I still wearing my earrings?"

"Felicity, I don't think this is the right time to be worried about lost jew-"

"No, it's not about that. I made a tracker a few months ago which I disguised as an earring. I don't think they saw it, but I can't be sure."

Oliver and Diggle's eyes widened.

"Yes Felicity, you are still wearing your earrings. Okay don't worry, we're coming to get you."

She heard the shuffling of footsteps behind her.

"Just please hurry!"

She turned off the monitor and made her way to the chair as fast as her body would allow. She was too late. The door swung open revealing Lopez and his men. She ducked underneath the table before they could see her.

"Where is she?!", Lopez demanded. The muscle-men simply stood there, dumbfounded.

She heard the footsteps move further into the room, away from the door. She held her breath as one of the muscle-men came to stand almost right in front of the table she was under. He lingered a bit before he, to her relief, turned away. When they were far enough, she took her chance. She shot out from underneath the table and bolted towards the door. Just when she touched the handle, she was yanked back by the neck and thrown to the floor. She hit the floor hard and black spots danced in front of her eyes.

"Well, well, well! Someone's been a naughty girl." Lopez said whilst circling her.

Felicity tried to sit up, only to be kicked back to the floor again. She gave a small cry of pain when he kicked her again.

"You see, Ms Smoak? Nobody can save you, not even your pathetic Oliver!"

She refused to believe him, because she knew it wasn't true. Oliver and Digg were out there right now and would probably be there any time now. She only hoped that she could hold on until they got there...

AN: YAY, OLIVER'S COMING! Take that, Lopez! Oliver gon' kick yo fat ass off the Earth! (At least that's what we're all hoping for, am I right?) Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it! I'm going to update more from now on since I am officially on vacation :D I'll have to find an alternative source of internet, however. The places we're going this vacation don't have wifi...grrr, they've taken away my lifesource...But I'll find a way. Pretty please leave a review, I ove hearing what you guys have to say (I always answer and if I haven't answered your review yet then I swear once I'm done here I'll go straight to that.) and please Fav/Follow if you haven't already ;) xx


	10. Safe And Sound

_AN: Hey everyone! So I was checking on my fanfiction and what not and then I realized, I have more than 200 followers! No, I'm not pointing this out to brag. I just want to let you guys know how unbelievably awesome you all are ;) So, are you guys ready for some ass-kicking? I know I am :D I'm just going to appologize beforehand: Sorry if the fighting scenes aren't all that great. I don't know a lot about fighting and that kind of stuff... Anyways, happy reading! :)_

Chapter 9

As soon as the video call ended, Oliver and Diggle jumped into action. Diggle was busy finding Felicity's location while Oliver went to suit up.

"Got it. She's being held at an abandoned warehouse in the Glades. I'll send you the address.", Diggle stated as Oliver entered.

"Good, I'll take my bike and you take the car. I'll meet you at the location."

Oliver was fuming with rage and he knew that if he faced Lopez now, the man would be dead in a heartbeat. _Good_, he thought as he strode towards his motorcycle. He didn't want Lopez to live, at least not after what he'd done. Oliver had felt this same rage when the Count held Felicity hostage at QC and threatened to kill her. Regardless of what he had said about not killing, that rule made an exception for one thing. _Felicity_.

After quickly checking the address one last time, he climbed onto his motorcycle. He was about to speed off when his phone rang. He took it out and glanced at the screen before answering.

"Now is not a good time Thea.", he growled.

"Ollie where have you been?! Mom and I have been worried sick! You were supposed to meet us for dinner fourty minutes ago.", Thea yelled into the phone.

_Damn it, Thea! _Oliver mentally scolded his sister.

"Listen Thea, now is really a bad time. I'll call you later."

"Does this have anything to do with Felicity? Oh my gosh! Are you two busy-?"

"No, Thea! I'll call you later.", he said and hung up before she could interrupt him again.

As he finally sped off, he allowed himself a smirk as he thought of Thea's words. _Oh, the things I'd do to her..._he thought. He started thinking of that body he couldn't forget since the moment he'd met her. He would explore every inch of her, mapping all of her sweet spots and then... _Focus! No time for distractions, _he reprimanded himself. He parked his motorcycle in an alleyway a few blocks from Felicity's location. Diggle arrived shortly afterwards.

"Oliver, are you sure you want to do this now? I mean we're going in blind here."

"We have no choice, Diggle. The longer we wait, the more her life is put in danger. That is if she isn't already...", Oliver choked on his own words. He simply couldn't bring himself to say it. He honestly didn't know what he'd do if Felicity died. He knew for sure that he'd never get over it and blame himself for the rest of his life.

Diggle nodded in understanding. Oliver knew that this whole situation was just as painful for him.

"So what's the game plan?"

"You go in by the back door and I'll take the roof entrance. We take out the guards and head straight towards Felicity's location."

Diggle nodded and they parted ways to their positions. Oliver took the fire escape to the roof and was met by three armed guards standing on different sides of the roof. The first didn't notice him, so he decided to sneak up on him and take him in a non-fatal choke hold. The struggling man soon went limp and Oliver tied him up and rid him of his gun. The other two weren't as easy. They turned at the sound of their struggling team member. Oliver was forced to dive behind a power box when they started firing at him. He quickly fought back by firing an exploding arrow at them rendering them unconsious. He tied and disarmed them as well.

He entered the building with caution. He followed the tracker's signal down the hall before he came face to face with another guard, with a bigger build than the others. A punch was sent Oliver's way, but he dodged it sending a punch of his own to the guard's jaw. The man stumbled backwards, but recovered soon after. They fought in hand to hand combat when suddenly the man delivered a kick to Oliver's abdomen, causing him to fall backwards and hit the ground hard. As the guard advanced on him, Oliver sat up nocking an arrow and fired it his right shoulder. The man cried out in pain before being knocked out, tied up and disarmed.

As Oliver neared the location, he could hear muffled voices growing louder with every step he took. He stopped at the door where the voices seemed to be coming from. Suddenly there was a shout and a scream. _FELICITY!_

He entered, arrow nocked, to find Felicity sprawled on the floor clutching her side. Her eyes were squeezed shut. To his surprise there were no other guards inside the room. Lopez was standing behind Felicity with a gun in his hands, aiming it directly at her. Lopez looked up at him and grinned.

"Oh, Oliver! Nice of you to join us, we were just getting to the good part. Isn't that right Ms Smoak?"

Felicity whimpered and opened her eyes to look at him.

"O-Oliver." she rasped out. She wore an expression of relief and exhaustion.

His eyes momentarily flicked to hers before focusing on Lopez once more. Lopez used this split second distraction and in one swift move, pulled Felicity up and held her at gunpoint. She gasped in pain, but still struggled against him. He simply laughed at her futile attempts.

"Now,now, my dear. I don't think it's wise to fight the man holding a _gun_ to your skull." he said coldly.

"Let her go.", Oliver growled.

Lopez turned to him.

"And why would I do that, hmm?"

Diggle appeared in the doorway, causing Lopez's concentration to waver. That was all Oliver needed. Felicity took the opportunity and dropped to the floor like a dead weight. He took the shot, firing three arrows to his chest as he had done to the Count. Lopez stood there for a moment before coughing up blood and falling backwards. Oliver strode over to the dying man's body and let pure, unadulterated rage take hold of him. He delivered blow after blow to Lopez's face and torso. Lopez was long gone, but that didn't stop him. A small voice calling him finally brought him back to reality.

He rushed over to her side and gently caressed her cheek.

"Felicity?"

"Oliver! I'm so tired.", she said and her eyelids started to slid shut.

"I know, but just hold on for a bit okay? I need you to tell me if you have any serious injuries. Can you do that for me?"

"Mhmm. My head and side hurts the worst."

"Do you think you can walk?", Diggle asked.

She nodded and groaned as she tried to sit up. Oliver and Diggle slowly helped her to her feet. She motioned for them to let her go. As soon as she tried to take a step foreward, her knees buckled. She braced herself for the cold hard floor, when a strong arm caught her around the waist. She gritted her teeth and hissed when she felt pain flare up from her side. Oliver swiftly swung her into his arms and carried her bridal style. Under normal circumstances she would've blushed as red as a cherry. They rushed to the car and Diggle promised to come back for the motorcycle later. They entered the car and raced towards Starling General. Diggle was driving while Oliver had already changed out of his Arrow leathers and into a t-shirt and jeans.

"No...no hospital..", Felicity mumbled.

Oliver looked at her incredulously.

"Felicity, we're taking you to the hospital. We don't know if there's any internal damage and we can't determine that from the Foundry."

"But-"

"No buts. Just stay still and try to relax, but don't close your eyes."

Felicity huffed, but tried to get more comfortable. _Yeah, like that's possible._ she thought as she winced, yet again, trying to find the right position.

Soon they pulled up in front of Starling General. Just then Felicity's eyes slid shut, nearly causing Oliver to go into a panic.

"Felicity! Stay awake, please!"

When she didn't respond he scooped her up into his arms and wasted no time in getting her to the Emergency Room. Diggle followed at his side and called for a nurse. They laid her down on the gurney while the nurse at the desk kept asking Oliver questions, when all he wanted to do was be by her side. He told the nurse that Felicity had been kidnapped and that he found her in an alley in the Glades. The nurse looked at him skeptically after receiving the vague explanation, but didn't press for more answers. Oliver turned to see Diggle make his way back down the hall.

"What did the doctor say?", Oliver asked anxiously.

"She said that Felicity is currently not in a critical condition, from what she can tell. She said it could be a while until they're done."

"I'll wait here."

"Oliver, it could be hours for all we know. As much as I want to stay here as well, we have other things that need our attention. Like calling Detective Lance about Lopez's men tied up in the Glades. Not to mention, I still have to retrieve your motorbike."

"You do that. I'll go call Lance outside.", Oliver agreed begrudgingly.

He pulled his 'Arrow phone' from his pocket and left the hospital, but not moving too far away. He dialed Detective Lance who answered immediately.

"Detective.", Oliver greeted in his Arrow voice.

"Ah, I was wondering when I'd hear from you again."

"There's an early christmas present for the police department tied up at the location sent to your phone."

"Does this early christmas present have a name?"

"The associates of Carlos Lopez."

"And Lopez himself?"

"Already taken care of."

"And here I thought you were past killing", Lance muttered.

"Lopez crossed a line, there was no choice to make."

Lance sighed, "I'll send over the squad to bring them in."

After they hung up, Oliver went back inside the hospital to the waiting room. He paced nervously and his thoughts were running away. What if something went wrong while she was unconscious? What if there was permanent damage? What if he lost her forever... He would never forgive himself if that happened. She didn't deserve this, all she ever did was help people. _Calm down, she'll be fine..._ Diggle walked into the waiting room and gave Oliver a look.

"If you don't slow down you might end up pacing a hole in the floor.", he said and smirked.

Oliver sighed and forced himself to sit down. Just then a doctor entered.

"Felicity Smoak?", she asked

"That's us.", Diggle answered.

"Well it looks like she'll be just fine. She's got a few bruised ribs and a concussion. Luckily her concussion isn't severe so there won't be any permanent effects. She'll have to stay here for a few days. When she goes home, I suggest she take it easy until she's completely healed. Also look out for the side effects of the concussion: dizziness, nausea, fatigue... Other than that, she's fine."

"May we see her?", Oliver asked.

"Of course, this way.", she said and lead them down the hall. She stopped in front of a room and opened the door. "She'll wake up in an hour or so. Press that button if you need anything."

Oliver pulled a chair to the side of Felicity's bed and took her hand in his. Even though she had bruises on her cheek, she looked peaceful. _Beautiful,_ he thought. He brought her small hand to his lips, placing soft kisses on it. He stifled a yawn and realized how exhausted he was. He could probably take a short nap right? After all, the doctor had said it would be about an hour until she woke up. He rested his head on the side of the thin mattress and tried to relax, still holding her hand.

Soon enough, he succumbed to the inviting arms of sleep with the steady beeping of a heart monitor as assurance. Everything would be okay.

_AN: Woohooo! Another chapter down. Lopez is no more! *Cheering and whistling* _Sorry if the fight scenes were sucky...I tried my best. And I also have limited medical knowledge so sorry about that as well. We are close to the end people! The next chapter might even be the last *gasp*. Thanks for reading this chapter. Pretty please leave me a Christmas prezzie in the review box! I'll see you next time ;) xx

PS: I would've posted this chapter sooner, but ESKOM decided to give us yet _another_ freaking power outage. Twice in one day.. That is _low_, people..


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